The History of the Belle Mead Co-Op
Yes. We're open to the public, but here's the story of our past.
Still serving the community for over 100 years, the Belle Mead Co-Op
has
seen a lot of changes since its incorporation in 1920. The
store was known as The Club prior to 1920. The large barn in front
of the store was constructed at the turn of the century and was
operated for the club as a hay press. The press was
powered by horses in the cellar and the farmers would bring loose
hay here to be pressed into bales and loaded on railroad cars.
That same barn now proudly displays
eighty four solar panels that supply the business with a good
portion of its electricity. The
railroad sidings gave the store its unique shape as they ran behind
the store and to the front and rear of the old barn. Rail
cars would load up on coal and water here, then pick up hay to take up
north to the horse farms.
The front retail store was opened in 1953 and three years later, a
fire in the feed mill destroyed 45 tons of grain. In 1998, the
Co-Op purchased eight acres of property from the Elizabethtown Water
Company in order to expand its landscape supply offerings.
Over the next few years, we purchased the two small lots adjacent to
the store. The large duplex was deconstructed in order to
expand the nursery operation and the smaller cottage is maintained
as a residence.
In 2001, the store changed
its status from a Farmers Cooperative, incorporated under
the Farmers Cooperative Act of 1920, to a limited liability company
or LLC.
The change was necessary because as a co-op, the company had to
distribute dividends to all of it patrons. This was
impossible ever since the store opened to the public. As the
store was now profitable, it became necessary to distribute dividends
once again and in order to do that, a change was needed. Now,
the new company, The Belle Mead Farmers llc Dba. Belle Mead
Co-op, is comprised of the descendants of the
original founding members and other member patrons that were in place
at the time of the change.
The Co-op now offers a
complete line of feeds, from hamster to horse. We carry many name
brand feeds for farm animals as well as most of the leading pet food
lines. We were the oldest, still operating, cooperative in the state
until we changed our corporate structure to an llc. Our feed mill is still in operation
today and continues to supply feed for farmers in the area. In return,
we purchase hay, straw, corn, oats, wheat and even farm fresh eggs
locally.
We are a complete lawn & garden center, with a knowledgeable staff
on hand, to answer all your questions. Our nursery area has expanded
over the years and includes many unusual plants and a complete water
gardening department. In addition, we have an extensive supply
of mulch, soil and stone products, both bagged and bulk. The Co-Op has grown and changed to meet the
needs of the surrounding community.
